Kent Hovind to Visit Milwaukee

Well, he's coming. Kent Hovind, the hero of the creationist movement. Ring all the bells and blow all the whistles. The always entertaining, talented, clever, naive, deluded tax-evader will be giving a presentation right here at UWM. Here's the details:

"Creation vs. Evolution... which has more merit?"
Presentation by Kent E. Hovind
Tuesday, December 6th, 2005. 6:30 p.m.
Bolton Hall, Room 150.

He's looking for a debate partner. I'm willing, but have neither the time nor the equipment to take him on this time. Oh, I'll debate him sooner or later, but perhaps I should tackle a different question. Since none of the professors are willing to debate this clown, we should ask, should university professors debate the creationists when they challenge? Is turning down such a challenge tantamount to conceding the truth of creationism?

Richard Dawkins was once challenged to a debate by creationist Duane Gish. Intrigued with the prospect, Dawkins contacted his old friend, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, for advice. Stephen was adamant. "Don't do it!" he told him. As soon as you share time with a creationist onstage, he said, you lend legitimacy to the position. It won't matter what's said, all that the faithful flock will see is "their man" sharing the stage with a real scientist. This bolsters their view that they have a legitimate gripe with evolution -- and that's the wrong message!

Most creationist debaters are very much like Kent Hovind; slick, silver-tongued devils who could sell refrigerators to Eskimos. They can't reason well, but they can sure give one hell of an entertaining speech! And it is this which appeals to their mass of followers. By contrast, most professional scientists and university professors never even participated in their high school forensics teams when they were kids. Oh, they're smart, and they can give a reasonably good lecture, sometimes without putting people to sleep, but they aren't advocates. They'd make lousy lawyers. Creationists exploit this tendency well. Whenever a creationist tries to tempt a faculty member of a university into debating with him, the answer should always be a firm, "No!" It seems the faculty of UWM has gotten that message.

That having been said, creationism does need to be sternly opposed by faculty and teachers at all levels. Refusing to do public debates does not mean those with the scientific expertise should bury their heads in the sand like ostriches whenever creationism rears its ugly head. They should learn all they can about creationism, and debunk it publicly whenever possible. Dawkins has led by example, in this regard.

So what about public debates? Should they never happen on campus at all? I'm of the opinion that they should. But just as creationists use professional public speakers to argue their points, evolutionists should do the same. Someone who's entertaining, funny, eloquent, and utterly debasing and irrevrent to the other's points should be the only debater creationists ever see. Such people are few and far between, but I'm hoping to become one of them, someday.

Eric